President Obama visits Holland plant

As the president looked on, company employee John Park demonstrated an “automatic storage and retrieval frame” used to assemble the advanced batteries.

“Very cool,” Obama said.

Michigan’s unemployment rate was 10.5 percent in June, and Obama has promoted the job-creation benefits of spending money on producing such clean-energy technologies as advanced batteries.

“At a time when Americans are rightly focused on our economy, when Americans are asking about what’s our path forward, all of you here at Johnson Controls are providing a powerful answer,” Obama said. “This is one of the most advanced factories in the world. You’re helping America lead in a growing new industry.”

Obama has announced fuel-efficiency standards of 54.5 miles-per-gallon by 2025.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. said in a statement that Obama’s second visit to Holland in 13 months “brings national attention to Michigan’s leadership in advanced battery production and green vehicle manufacturing and the new jobs these plants will bring here.”

Some Boy Scouts were on hand, and they said they were impressed by the high-tech theme.

“It’s an investment in the future,” said Armaan Dandavati, 17, of Holland. “The building itself helps provide jobs, which is immediate. But the products that they are building and that the facility here develops will continue to aid the economy.”

“You have to start somewhere,” said Zach Rolinski, 18, who had a summer job with Johnson Controls. “A building like this with so much attention from leaders, it will allow a good start and allow it to get on the right track. It will offer more growth from there.”